The curious case of extraordinary bees!

Who does not like honey? Maybe very few people. And what about the Bees? I mean they sting badly, but only if you disturb them. But there is a lot more to the bees than their honey – their buzz, and their stings. Let’s get to know them a little better:

Normally our teeth are present in our mouth, unless they are not aliens or some mythical monsters. Bees on the other hand, have teeth attached on their wings too. Yes, they do! These teeth on their wings lock together to help them fly. Interesting, isn’t it!

In a social environment, expression and communication creates all the necessary as well as unnecessary buzz! Being the smartest, we humans go to almost-bizarre extents to express ourselves. From tattoos and dreadlocks to songs and dances. Bees do it through chemicals called pheromones and a special bee dance, which is a timeless manner of expression. Something similar to humans there.

Lot of people believe that bees can ONLY make honey. Do you too? If so, then you are wrong. They are responsible for every third mouthful that you have and if they stopped pollinating, there would not be as many fruits and vegetables as you see now. Scary isn’t it?

In fact, Albert Einstein said that if the bees were extinct, so would humans in four years. Some of the other items from their natural production unit are beeswax, pollen, propolis- a glue-like substance from the bark of trees used as ingredients in natural supplements and herbal medicines, and royal jelly. That is sweet!

Though small, the bees are hard workers and believe in a social lifestyle, where they cooperate to dominate. They are ruled by a queen who commands them and lays about 1,500 eggs per day. The female bees do all the work such as cleaning, packing pollen and nectar into cells, feeding the baby bees, feeding and taking care of the queen, building and repairing honeycombs, cooling the hive and protect the hive. The male bees are called drones and they do not work. They lack stingers too, so if you get stung by a bee, it will surely be a lady. The job of the male bees is to find females to mate and make them their queens. Sounds familiar? I know right!

So, next time you encounter a bee hive, walk away without disturbing it. Because bees are always at work and who likes distraction and if you see them moving about like a drunk, don’t fret, they are probably sharing a secret. And remember, no bees = no pollination, so respect them and protect them. They are a true wonder of mother nature !